Sydney Swans captain Callum Mills has sustained an unfortunate setback to begin his 2026 pre-season, suffering a minor hamstring strain.
The Swans confirmed the incident which caused the injury took place during training.
"Mills was tackled in a contested drill and fell awkwardly," the club statement read.
"Scans overnight have confirmed the minor strain."
According to AFL Media's Callum Twomey, the injury means the 28-year-old will be unable to train for the remainder of the calendar year as the Swans aim to reintegrate him back into training in the new year.
It's disappointing timing for the midfielder, who had just come off a strong bout of health in the back half of the 2025 season, featuring in every Swans game at senior level from Round 13 onward.
Mills was in near career-best form in those 12 matches, averaging 23.8 disposals at a ridiculous efficiency of 82.8 per cent, as well as 6.6 marks (equal career-best) and 4.3 score involvements per game.
Sydney captain Callum Mills has had a pre-season setback, suffering a minor hamstring injury.
Mills will be out of training for the next few weeks with the club expecting him to be back into training after Christmas break. @AFLcomau
— Callum Twomey (@CalTwomey) November 28, 2025
"It was nice to finish off the year uninterrupted," Mills told media on Monday.
"Fingers crossed everything goes well in preseason, I'm feeling really fit."
While now tasked with a compromised pre-season, the Swans have plenty of time to manage Mills' return to full health ahead of their Opening Round clash with Carlton, which will open the 2026 season on Thursday, March 5 at the SCG.
